Three and a half

Our baby is no longer a baby. She's a big kid and, boy, does she have some strong ideas of her own (our little Scorpio).

Three and a half is a roller coaster ride. We rejoice and cheer her independence, intelligence, language (FINALLY!) and helpfulness. We love watching her little personality develop--she can get everyone around her laughing in no time. But then we have the desperate times (she doesn't nap)--clothes being the #1 issue around here lately. Twice last week while we were literally walking out the door to go to our schools, she stripped down to her underwear, proclaiming all of her clothes were unworthy of the day.
But I digress, this post is meant to savor all the incredible, tender moments we want to hold on to. Three and a half is more fun than I could have imagined. We love all the Clem-isms she's come up with:

*She and Cam both love to drink unflavored Seltzer water. Clementine calls it "Spicy Juice," which makes so much sense to me. But she also calls Band-Aids "Lollipops." This I do not get.

*She loves to check things out from above. She still loves for me to hold her as I start the laundry, while Cam BBQ's or while we're taking a family walk. I will always hold on to her own little phrase "I'll hold you, mama." I hope she requests this for a long long time.

*While she does have one stuffed animal she's particularly attached to, her bed is filled up with Boo Boo buddies (soft ice packs) as her comfort objects. I don't know how she came up with this.

*Lately, in the middle of everyday life, she'll say something like "Mama! Turn the music off...I love you." I love the "Love yous" we're getting lately.

*She loves dinosaurs. So. Much. We bought these three dinosaurs at a garage sale last year and they are, hands-down, her most played with toys. They go in the sensory bin, the vegetable garden, the rock path, and the grass. She can play with these guys for hours.

*She takes roll all the time. "Grandpa's in Mexico, Nolan's with Sissy, Daddy's at home..."

*Everyone is her best friend and everything is her favorite.

*She's been making up a lot of her own songs (see the video "Our American Idol") and loves to belt them out. She also loves to dance. Her favorite moves are Beyonce's.

We love this little girl and are having so much fun at 3.5.